A/N: It's cold here in my part of the world and so everyone's having a day off. But not me. I'm here posting this for you. Hopefully, seeing as I am not going to work, I'll be able to get on with writing the huge gaping hole in the middle that we're fast approaching... Wish me luck.

-0-

"Alright," Hermione muttered. "Let's try this."

She took a deep breath, thankful again that they had cleared the air as much as possible and she had done so again when she'd arrived earlier. She closed her eyes and focused on what she wanted to do.

She swung her wand around without really any specific idea in mind and cried out as something in her chest pulled. But, as she opened her eyes and blinked, she found all of the bones that had littered their feet had turned to dust. She turned up her nose as if shifted when she moved but she tried not to breathe too deeply. Using just a bit of water from an Aguamenti, she sprayed down the dust so it wouldn't fly about willy-nilly; like she'd seen them do at building sites and nodded to herself when it worked reasonably well. She managed to Summon most of it to one corner where they could work on removing it slowly but surely or perhaps, once she'd read up a bit more about where things go when they were vanished with an Evanesco, they could just do that.

Once again, she was struck by how much of her existence Minerva usually featured in. Life would be so much easier if she could just ask, but as she had learned to do since she left the Hospital Wing, she pushed it further down in her chest and carried on. She sighed again and finished what she was doing and turned back to the tunnel. It was well formed, mostly, with only a little bit of decay due to age and the filth it had sat in. She used a cleaning spell on a small patch and sighed when it didn't really work. Sometimes she missed the bottle of bleach under the sink at home, but hopefully, there would be books in the Library enough that they would be able to deal with that themselves. Otherwise, they'd leave it until a time when it was prudent to mention it to someone and make do with the space they could clear.

She checked the time and sighed when it said it was three in the morning. She had never slept particularly well, but ever since the mission and everything that followed, she'd slept even less. It felt like there was always something to do; a feeling that she needed to be moving all the time. She glanced at the stones beneath her feet and cleaned them as best she could where she was but left the rest for the following day. Instead, she tried, and succeeded, in casting an expandable charm on a bag they were using to cart the debris up to the bathroom. She grinned triumphantly as it worked and she could stick her whole arm in there as a new thought began to form.

She scooped as much dust into the bag as she could and took it up the steps to the bathroom, where they'd flushed it down the loos.

"If you keep doing that, they'll notice."

"Can't be helped," Hermione sighed as Myrtle popped into view. "You could make sure they don't notice?"

Myrtle sneered but didn't reply as Hermione started syphoning it off into the bowls.

"If you will?"

Myrtle rolled her eyes and flushed all of them at the same time with only a little glee.

"Myrtle," Hermione muttered.

"What?"

"You!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"WHAT!"

Hermione blinked and realised when it all came together.

"Tom Riddle."

Myrtle shuddered and looked at Hermione in horror. She said nothing else but slunk back into the stonework and out of sight. She had forgotten that it was Riddle who had set the beast loose the first time. Right at the time when he made the diary. So Dumbledore had been right, that it wasn't particularly useful to know who he'd killed to make the Horcruxes, but nevertheless, she made a note to mention it.

She brushed off the dirt from her clothes and exited into the corridor without a sound. It was a long walk back up to the Towers and she meandered, trying not to think of all the evenings that had been taken up with Minerva's company recently and trying not to dwell on those moments she'd spent since on her own.

It would have been easier, had she not turned the corner and bumped into someone coming the other way.

"Oomph," the other person said, almost bouncing off Hermione.

"Whoa," Hermione muttered, grabbing them gently at the last minute. After the incident with Ron, she'd been far more careful about the movements she made. She'd nearly taken Harry's head off by accident the other day. "I'm so sorry, are you -"

She blinked as the other person came into view. Minerva McGonagall looked at her in horror and Hermione immediately stepped away from her.

"I'm sorry," she said again, quieter. "I didn't expect anyone else to be up and about."

"You should be in your dormitory," Minerva muttered, though there was no real weight behind it.

"I guess I'm not sleeping very well right now."

Minerva snorted but didn't reply. They stood apart from each other, not saying anything and trying not to look at each other, either. Hermione's heart was crumbling in her chest and all she wanted to do was pull Minerva into her arms and hold her.

"I miss you," she whispered, recalling those same words she'd spoken when things were so much simpler. Minerva bit her lip but didn't reply. "I realised tonight that so much of my life involves you, it's weird to live without it."

Again, Minerva said nothing, and Hermione noticed her hands turning white where she had clasped them in front of her.

"Anyway," Hermione whispered, knowing she'd hear her. "It was good to see you. Take care of yourself, okay?" She shrugged. "Obviously I haven't been coming to class, cos I didn't want you to -" she paused. "Well, if Dumbledore wants to tutor me or something, that would be okay too. I'll leave it up to you. I'm following the syllabus as best I can."

Minerva remained as still as a statue and Hermione waited only a few seconds before stepping past her and carrying on towards the Tower. With every step, the feeling of emptiness grew in her gut.

"Wait," Minerva whispered.

Hermione heard it as if she'd shouted it and turned, regarding Minerva who was looking so lost in the dark corridor.

"You would- "

"I told you," Hermione said easily, guessing the unasked question. "I never want to hurt you. Not ever. Whatever this is, that you know and I don't, is frustrating and," she met Minerva's eyes for barely a second before the other woman looked away. "It's unfair, Min, but," she sighed. "It's hurting you and I want it to stop. So I'll do whatever you need." She took a step forward. "Minerva? Just tell me what you need."

"Will you -"

It looked as though she was trying to swallow a frog and Hermione only needed a few moments to realise what she wanted.

"Come 'ere," she whispered. She held down her arms and let Minerva come to her. She'd be the one looking the fool if Minerva backed out and somehow, that was okay. She stared at the older woman for a long time before Minerva finally gave in. Hermione felt like everything was suddenly okay as Minerva stepped into her embrace and tucked herself as close as she could. Hermione's cares and worries evaporated as she held Minerva tightly.

"It's okay," she promised. "It's going to be okay." Minerva's hands gripped the back of Hermione's jumper and before long, Hermione realised that she was sobbing against her shoulder. "It's okay," she just kept saying. "It's going to be okay." She wasn't sure how long they'd stood together but she could feel the tension in Minerva's form slowly ebb as she rocked them gently. "Come on," Hermione whispered. "Let me walk you back."

She squeezed Minerva's neck and shoulders gently and Minerva groaned despite the moment. Hermione spent a little time massaging those shoulders, that carried so much every day. Minerva let her head drop forward, her nose just barely pressing against Hermione's neck. Hermione revelled in it before she was made to withdraw. Time was meaningless as she worked on making Minerva feel as comfortable as she could before she felt a heaviness on her shoulder. She glanced down at her and realised that Minerva had fallen asleep.

Hermione clicked her tongue and brushed Minerva's hair back where it had fallen from her plait. She didn't want to wake her, but she didn't want to stand here for much longer in case someone came by. She thought about her newfound strength and glanced down at Minerva critically. After she'd accidentally knocked Ron on his ass, they'd started testing her. Yesterday she had picked up a cauldron with one finger quite easily and only moments ago she had carried enough debris, in one go, from the tunnels as the other three had managed in a whole day.

She shifted; dropping her shoulder beneath Minerva's chin and bent her knees. Very carefully, she scooped Minerva up into her arms and settled her against her shoulder. Minerva stirred a little, but only wrapped her arms around Hermione's shoulders and pressed her face more fully to her neck, instead of waking fully.

Minerva wasn't heavy at all, in fact, had they been on proper speaking terms, Hermione may have made a note to tell Minerva that she needed to eat more. She was, however, taller than Hermione so parts of the thinner corridors were a bit awkward but before long she arrived in front of Michael wearing a wry smile.

"Any chance you might just allow me to put her to bed and leave again?"

"I shouldna, should I?"

"Well," Hermione mused. "You could refuse, I suppose, but then I'd have to wake her and then maybe she won't go to sleep again. I understand you have rules, Michael, but if she hasn't changed her password since the last time I was here, you know I'm good for it." She rubbed her cheek against Minerva's forehead where it was resting. "I know you care for her, let me do this for her."

"If she slices me off my frame, Hermione, I expect a new one in the Gryffindor Tower."

"You already know you have a home with me when she's sick of your cheek," she chuckled as he swung open. "You can stay with me for as long as you like."

She hadn't actually ever been past the desk in Minerva's quarters but she did now and poked her head into two different rooms - a bathroom and a spare room that was mostly empty - before finding the correct one. She ummed and ahed a bit before she managed to leverage Minerva on one arm and pull the covers down with her other. It was a bit hair-raising but eventually, she placed Minerva gently on the bed. She pulled off Minerva's boots and contemplated attempting to transfigure her robes to pyjamas before deciding that it would perhaps not be in her best interest to do so. Especially while this new thing was doing something to her. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally transfigure Minerva's clothes into something else. Instead, she made sure Minerva's hair wouldn't get caught on anything, and undid the first few buttons around her neck and left her to it. At the last moment, she bent down and pressed a kiss to Minerva's forehead, and smoothed the frown from Minerva's forehead with her thumb. She wanted to stay and watch over her, but she knew the repercussions of that would likely be felt all over the British Isles, so she left. She thanked Michael again for his kindness and headed back to the dormitory.

It was one thing figuring out something in her had changed. It was another to see it first-hand. Not even three weeks ago she would not have been able to even lift Minerva from the ground, now she could hold her one-handed, with ease. To be honest, it scared her a little and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it.